“I am a fellow of the strangest mind in the world.”
Why it's great
He crowns himself the strangest man alive, and the boast lands as charm, not vanity.
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Informal
Use it yourself
I am a fellow of the strangest tastes in this whole town.
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00:00 / 03:36
Sir Andrew Boasts About Dancing, Explained
Twelfth Night · 2012
Chapter 3 of 25 · 3'36"
Sir Andrew lists his talents — masks, revels, dancing — and Toby eggs him on: "I delight in masks and revel, sometimes all together." Then the Duke turns his private grief into a mission, telling Viola he has "unclasped" the book of his secret soul and sending her to woo Olivia.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:30–1:14
Sir Andrew Boasts About His Dance Skills
44s - 2:42–3:02
❝ Monologue · 4 lines Orsino's charge to Cesario
He moves from confession to command in one breath, sending love out like a siege order.
20s
Sir Andrew Boasts About Dancing, explained
What happens
Sir Andrew Aguecheek insists he is a man of strange moods who loves masks and revels, and claims he can dance a galliard and 'cut a caper.' Sir Toby mocks him for hiding these gifts instead of showing them off. In the next scene, Duke Orsino tells Cesario he has opened his secret soul and orders the servant to go woo Olivia, refusing to accept an empty-handed return.
What's really going on
The scene works as a study in performance. Sir Andrew's entire personality is a list of tricks — masks, revels, a galliard, a caper — and Toby's teasing turns it into a small audition: "Is this a world to hide virtues in?" Everyone here is playing a part, and Sir Andrew is bad at it. Then the play cuts to Orsino, who is the opposite: all feeling and no disguise. He describes telling Cesario everything as opening a book — "the book even of my secret soul" — and gives the young servant a mission that will only deepen the tangle, since Cesario is really Viola, a woman he will fall in love with. His instruction to 'leap all civil bounds' shows how far he will push someone else to get what he wants.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I am a fellow of the strangest mind in the world.”
- Sir Andrew brags about his own oddity, as if being strange were a talent. It's his way of introducing his list of party tricks.
- “Thou knowest no less but all I have unclasped to thee, the book even of my secret soul.”
- Orsino says he has opened his heart to Cesario completely, like a book. It shows how much he trusts this new servant.
- “And leap all civil bounds rather than make unprofitted returns.”
- He tells Viola to ignore all courtesy and push hard, as long as she doesn't come back without seeing Olivia.
- “I delight in masks and revel, sometimes all together.”
- Sir Andrew's definition of fun: dressing up, partying, and combining every pleasure at once.
- “Is this a world to hide virtues in?”
- Toby's rhetorical jab: talents are meant to be shown. He uses it to push Andrew into performing.
Theme
- Identity — Sir Andrew performs a role he can't fill, while Viola is already living a borrowed identity as Cesario.
- Ambition — Andrew brags to raise his status, and Orsino pushes Cesario past all bounds to win Olivia.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level0/6
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Thou knowest no less but all I have unclasped to thee, the book even of my secret soul.”
Why it's great
He turns confession into a book unclasped, so trust becomes something you can read.
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literary
Use it yourself
I've unclasped the book of my secret soul to you, so please keep it closed.
“And leap all civil bounds rather than make unprofitted returns.”
Why it's great
Better to overstep every rule of manners than to come back with nothing done.
Register
literary
Use it yourself
Leap a few civil bounds rather than make unprofitted returns from that meeting.
“I delight in masks and revel, sometimes all together.”
Why it's great
A list of pleasures plus sometimes all together: the party animal in one sentence.
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Informal
Use it yourself
I delight in costumes and dancing, sometimes all together.
“Is this a world to hide virtues in?”
Why it's great
A rhetorical question that shames hiding: the challenge doubles as encouragement.
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literary
Use it yourself
Is this a world to hide good ideas in?
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Orsino's charge to Cesario
Thou knowest no less but all I have unclasped to thee, the book even of my secret soul. Therefore, good youth, address thy gait unto her. Be not denied access. Stand at her doors and tell them there thy fixed foot shall grow till thou have audience.
He moves from confession to command in one breath, sending love out like a siege order.
Up next · 04wear not motley in my brainThe scene: Feste Proves Olivia a FoolTakeaways
What you walk away with- Andrew turns a dance step into a dinner joke.
- Toby mocks the fashion of dancing and boasting.
- The Duke unclasps his heart like a fast-closed book.
- Clamorous means insist loudly, not ask politely.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Sir Andrew stay with Sir Toby?
He hopes to win Olivia and keeps spending money in the meantime. Toby flatters him and eggs him on, and Andrew is too foolish to see he is being used.
What does Sir Andrew claim he can do?
He says he loves masks and revels and can dance a galliard, cut a caper, and hold his own at the 'kickshawses.' Toby then makes him show off his dancing.
What does "cut a caper" mean?
It means to make a playful skipping jump. It is also a pun: a caper is a pickled flower bud served with mutton, which Andrew plays on.
What does the Duke ask Cesario to do?
He sends Cesario to Olivia's house to press his suit and deliver his love. He tells the young servant to stand at her door and refuse to leave until she is seen.
Why is Orsino willing to ignore courtesy?
He is impatient in love and tells Cesario to 'leap all civil bounds' rather than return without success, putting his desire above good manners.